Hydraulic-elevator-control system



Aug. 7, 1923 I I W. H. HARTMAN HYDRAULIC ELEVATOR CONTROL SYSTEM 2Sheets-Sheet 2 m ai.)

Original Filed Dew 15, 1920 WITNESS 4 ATTORNEYS Patented Aug. 7, i923.

WILLIAM: H. HARTIVIAN, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR TO RANDALLCONTROL AND HYDROMETBIC COBPORA'IIGN, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, A

CORPORATION OF CALIFORNIA.

HYIDRAULIC-ELEVATOR-CONTROL SYSTEM.

Application filed. December 15, 1920, Serial No. 431,026. Renewed June26, 1923.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, WTLLIAM H. llART' MAN, a citizen of the UnitedStates, and a resident of Los Angeles, county of Los Angeles, and Stateof California, have invented a certain new and useful Hydraulic-Elevator-Control System, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to elevator control systems and particularly tocontrol systems for hydraulic elevators.

An object of the invention is to provide means for preventing creepingof the elevator car, due to leaky valves or other causes, when anelevator shaft door is unlocked or open.

Another object of the invention is to provide means operatively by theunlocking or opening of a shaft door for throwing the control mechanisminto operation.

Another object of the invention is to provide control means normallydisengaged from the car operating lever which is brought into engagementwith the lever simultaneously with the actuation of the control means.

The invention possesses other advantageous features, someof which, withthe foregoing, will be set forth at length in the following description,where I shall outline in full, that form of the invention which I haveselected for illustration in the drawings accompanying and forming partof the present specification. In said drawings, 1 have shown oneembodiment of the invention, but it is to be understood that I do notlimit myself to such form, since the invention, as expressed in theclaims, may be embodied in a plurality of forms.

Difiiculty is experienced in the operation of hydraulic elevators due tothe creeping of the elevator car when the control. lever is in neutralposition, which creeping is usually caused by leaky valves in thehydraulic motor. This difliculty is particularly noticeable when the caris brought to rest at a floor. Means have been proposed for moving thecontrol lever of the motor from neutral position in a direction tocounteract the creeping of the car, and thereby hold the carsubstantially stationary. These proposed means have been permanentlyconnected with the control lever so that they must be continuously movedby In accordcility and is brought into engagement with the control leverwhen the car has been stopped at a floor and the shaft door opened, andis disengaged when the shaft door is closed.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure l is a diagrammatic representation of an elevator car equippedwith my invention, disposed in an elevator shaft opposite a shaft door.

Fig. 2 is an elevation of the stationary wire engaging device. I

Fig. is a vertical section through the stationary wire engaging device.

The present invention relates to hydraulic elevators and provides meansfor preventing the creeping of the elevator car due to leaky valves inthe hydraulic motor when the car is halted at a floor and the shaft dooropened. The elevator car 2 is pro vided with a control lever 3 securedto the shaft l, which is operatively connected with the valves on thehydraulic motor, movement of the lever to one side of the neutralposition serving to operate the valves to cause the car to ascend andmovement to the other side serving to operate the valves to cause thecar to descend. When the valves are leaky, the car tends to move eitherupward or downward, when the control lever is in neutral position, andmeans are provided for moving the control lever slightly from neutralposition in a direction to counteract the creeping movement of the car.Arranged in the elevator shaft is a vertically disposed stationary Wireor cable 5, which is normally slidably engaged by a carriage 6 carriedby the elevator car and when a shaft door is opened, the carriage isclamped to, the wire, so that move: ment of the car produces a movementof the carriage with respect to the car and this movement is employed tomove the control lever to stop the movement of the car. Depending fromthe car are a pair of vertical guides 4 upon which the verticallymovable on the elevator car.

carriage is disposed, the carriage being pro vided with rollers 8,engaging the guides. Arranged in the carriage is a cylinder 9 having aspring pressed piston 12 therein, to which is secured the piston rod 13.Secured to the outer end of the piston rod is a shoe 14 which is adaptedto be moved to clamp the cable 5 to the carriage. The carriage is formedin two parts lying on opposite sides of the cable, the part 15 beingprovided with rollers 16 engaging the cable. The piston operates toclamp the cable between the shoe 1 1 and the carriage part 15, thusholding the carriage stationary in the shaft. The piston is operated byfluid under pressure, conveyed to the car through the flexible conduit17 to the three-way valve 18, which is operated by the opening andclosing of the shaft door 19. Secured to the valve lever is rod 21 whichis connected to the cam-shoe 22 pivotally mounted Lateral movement ofthe shoe 22 causes vertical movement of the rod 21. Mounted in the shaftat each door, is a bell crank lever 23 having a projection 24 adapted tobe engaged by the cam-shoe 22 when the car is opposite a floor. Theother end ofthe lever 23 carries a roller 25 which cooperates with acam-slide 26 se cured to the shaft door. I The slide 26 has a depressedend on which the roller 25 rests when the door is closed, and a bodyportion on which the roller rests when the door is open partially orfully. VJ hen the door is opened, therefore, the shoe 22 is depressedand the valve 18 operated to admit air to the cylinder 9 and clamp thecarriage to the cable. When the door is closed, the valve is operated toexhaust the air through the muffler 27, releasing the carriage from thecable.

Movement of the carriage with respect to the car, causes a movement ofthe controller lever and means are provided for connecting the carriageand the controller lever only when a shaft door is open, so that theweight ofthe carriage will not always be imposed on the controllerlever. Secured to the shaft 4 is an arm 31 provided on its end with asegmental gear 32. The carriage is suspended from a lever 33, pivoted tothe car air under pressure condu'ctedfrom a suitable source by pipe 13,which air is admitted to and released from the cylinderby the valve 18,simultaneously with the admission to and release of air from thecylinder 9.

When the segmental gears are in engagement, thecarriage is connected tothe controller lever so that movement of the carriage with respectto thecar moves the controller lever and this engagement isestablished onlywhen a shaft door is open. When the gears are separated, there is noadditional load on the controller lever. The weight of the carriage iscounterbalanced by the weight 41 secured to the lever 12, fulcrumed onthe car and pivoted to the lever 33.

The operation of the device may be now briefly explained. When the carstops at a landing, the operating lever 3 is in neutral position, andgears and 35 are disengaged. However, upon opening of door 19, the rod21 is operated, admitting air to cylinders 9 and 39. This serves toclamp the carriage (5 to its guide, and to cause engage-v ment of gears32 and Upon creeping of the car in either direction, a slight rotationis imparted to lever 33 about the-pivot on carriage (3, and gear 35fixed to this lever imparts rotation to gear 32 and to the operatingshaft 4. This rotation is in the proper direction to stop the movementof the car.

I claim:

1. In an elevator system having a car operating in the shaft, means forcontrolling the movement of the car, a member carried by the car butrelatively movable therewith, for operating the controlling means inresponse to movement of the car, and means for mechanically connectingand disconnect ing said member and the operating means.

2. In an elevator system having a car operating in a shaft and a doorfor the shaft, means for controlling the movement of the car, a membercarried by the car for operating the controlling means, means responsiveto the opening of the door for maintaining said member stationary withrespect to the shaft, and means for mechanically connecting anddisconnecting said member and the operating means.

3. The combination with an elevator shaft provided with a door, of anelevator car in said shaft, means for controlling the movement of saidcar, a movable carriage on said car operably associated with andnormally disconnected from the controlling means, means for locking thecarriage against movement whereby a movement of the car produces arelative movement of the car with respect to the carriage, and means forconnecting said carriage and said controlling means.

1. The combination with an elevator shaft provided with a door, of anelevator car in said shaft, means for controlling the move ment of saidcar, a movable carriage on said car operably associated with andnormally disconnected from the controlling means,

means for locking the carriage againstv movement whereby a movement ofthe car produces a relative movement of the car with respect to thecarriage, and means for simultaneously connecting said carriage and saidcontrolling means.

5. The combination with an elevator shaft provided with a door, of anelevator car in said shaft, means for controlling the movement of saidcar, a fixed vertically disposed member in said shaft, a verticallymovable carriage on said car operably associated with and normallydisconnected from said controlling means and normally out of tightconnection with said vertically disposed member, means on the carriageadapted to clamp said member and means for connecting the carriage andthe controlling means.

6. The combination with an elevator shaft provided with a door, of anelevator car in said shaft, means for controlling the movement of saidcar, a fixed vertically disposed member in said shaft, a verticallymovable carriage on said car operably associated with and normallydisconnected from said controlling means and normally out of tightconnection with said vertically disposed member, means on the carriageadapted to clamp said member and means for simultaneously connecting thecarriage and the controlling means.

7 The combination with an elevator shaft provided with a door, of anelevator car in said shaft, means for controlling the movement of saidcar, a fixed vertically disposed member in said shaft, a verticallymovable carriage on said car, a lever connected to said carriage, an armsecured to said controlling means, means for clamping said carriage tosaid member and means for connecting said arm and lever.

8. The combination with an elevator shaft provided with a door, of anelevator car in said shaft, means for controlling the movement of saidcar, a fixed vertically disposed member in said shaft, a verticallymovable carriage on said car, a lever connected to said carriage, a gearon the end of said lever, a gear connected to the controlling means anddisposed adjacent said first named gear, means for clamping saidcarriage to said member, and means for moving said gears intoengagement.

9. The combination with an elevator shaft provided with a door, of anelevator car in said shaft, means for controlling the movement of saidcar, a movable carriage on said car, operably associated with andnormally disconnected from said means, and mechanism thrown intooperation by the opening of the shaft door for locking the carriageagainst movement and connecting said carriage and said means, whereby amovement of the car produces a movement of the controlling means.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand.

WILLIAM H. HARTMAN.

